Natural Cystitis Remedies for Cats

Apple Cider Vinegar 657

Approval Ratings

YEA (65)

83%

NAY (7)

9%

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS (1)

1%

BETTER BUT NOT CURED (3)

4%

WORKED TEMPORARILY (2)

3%

Posted by Karen (Key Largo, Florida) on 02/23/2013

[YEA] I am very happy to have found this site and all the posts about cats that have been helped (very sorry to hear about the one that was too sick to be helped). Matter cleaning the litter boxes after work , like most every night I realized Sassy Ass'es box was dryer than normal. Watched her for a bit & she was straining to do "nothing" . I have had many many cats over the years and knew it was a cystitis or infection. Vets closed so I start doing Internet search and end up here. The lack of fluids & ACV made sense to me. After an entire night mostly sleepless and the better part of the day, Sassy Ass is again peeing extremely well. I was jumping up and down like a cheerleader moments ago!!!!

Goes to show, if you are aware of your pets actions and catch an issue quickly there can be a positive outcome. Minus my own lack of sleep all as well.

Replied by KerriDarwin, Nt, Australia03/01/2013

[YEA] Excellent advice regarding ACV for UTI in cats. My cat was distressed, running about scratching the floor & peeing in the bathtub. I put half a teaspoon of ACV, mixed with water with her canned food & the vey next morning she was back to normal!! I continued adding AVC to her canned food morning & night just to be sure & cut out all dry food. Worked an absolute treat!

Thank you! Love, love, love this site!!

Replied by NonaAsburn01/26/2015

[YEA] My Cat going through the same thing. I just paid $1200 in vet bills and brought him home. He is on antibiotic and pain meds since he had a catheter inserted.

Today not that much in pain but still struggling to urinate. I started on Apple Cider Vinegar today. Hope it will work soon. He is much more relaxed now than yesterday. I will post the results.

[YEA] About: Apple Cider Vinegar for bladder problems, male cat. After repeated visits to a Vet over a period of three years, and many hundreds of dollars in cost, I finally realized there had to be a better way. My six year old male cat Peppi had another flare-up only two weeks after the previous, and it became obvious that the anti-inflammatory injections and pain medication the Vet was prescribing was not a solution. I have two cats in the house, the other is a female rescue cat, she's been with us for three years and they tolerate each other.

I separated them, gave the male two litter boxes of his own, and watched his movements. Three days ago he urinated at least a dozen times, some quite normal in quantity, others just a few drops, and towards the end of the day, although his urine was still clear and he was using the litter-box, he was in pain and began to howl.

I had stopped giving him any dry food even in the small quantities he was being given as a treat, and was on the verge of taking him to the Vet again when he started to howl, as I had been told he would need various blood tests and an Xray or MRI.

That very same day, we had taken him to the Vet who did a quick in-house blood test for diabetes - using the same little meter I use at home, because I have recently been diagnosed with Type 2. For that test, which took all of three minutes in and out, we paid over $90.

I came across this website feeling somewhat desperate, it was either find something natural rather quick (like a miracle?) or deliver him to the Vet next morning, and leave him there for tests and a cost of at least $500/$600. (And no guarantee that any further procedure would be effective! )

There was bottle of organic (with the mother) apple cider vinegar in my kitchen... I had bought it for myself, and had not yet started using it...

After reading page after page of the comments here on this website about ACV, I mixed about a half-teaspoon of it into some canned wet cat food, and he ate it with enjoyment. A couple of hours later, I gave him some more with another dash of ACV.

He spend the night on the bed, and in the morning, urinated quite normally - his morning feed again included a dash of ACV and by the middle of the day, I knew we were on top of it. He was comfortable, obviously had no more urinary arritation, and I am so happy to say that the Vet missed out on his fat fee, because Peppi is now totally back to normal. How long will it last? I don't know, but he's going to be getting his little dose of ACV at least once a day from now on.

[YEA] About a month ago, the vet me my male cat (Grecco, 3 yr) had cystitis. He was peeing blood (little spots) in the bathtub and sink and not at all in the litter box. The first time I took him to the vet he was blocked... Hello $500 vet bill. The next time (about a week later) he was peeing blood again so back to the vets he went and they just flushed him out... $230. Each time they gave me antibiotics and pain meds, clearly that wasn't helping. I asked if anything would help and the Dr said no, and then I asked about switching to wet food and he said it was better for them but wouldn't necessarily help Then this past weekend it happened again, this is all within less than a month! I can't afford another vet bill and I feel like taking to the vet isn't even helping anyway

So off to the internet I went and found this site. Last night I started the ACV giving it to him in his dinner, he wasn't having that so then I had to do it with a syringe (2ml Apple Cider Vinegar 5ml water), nothing changed between last night and this morning. I gave it to him again this morning before I fed him (wet food with a little water to make it like a gravy, I no longer use dry food because it seems to make the cystitis act up). I went home on my lunch break and saw a nice spot in the litter box ( by the size and way it looked I am pretty sure it was his and not my female kitten) and then when I went to pick him up and take him into the kitchen to do another dose an awesome thing happened, he peed all over me and the kitchen floor! Sounds weird but I was so happy! There wasn't any blood at all! I am going to keep giving the ACV and probably continue even after it has cleared, just use a smaller dosage like 1/2 tsp instead of a little over 1 tsp. Not sure if that will hurt the stomach with all that acid. Hopefully it continues to work. Thank you everyone for posting, I believe that this may save his life.

Replied by EllieStga Spgs, Ny11/13/2012

So impressive if ACV really worked for cat with serious bladder problem. I adopted a new cat from someone that wouldn't keep him. He had just been treated with a flee product. He had a soft stool and he had a serious bladder infection. He was scratching infected my other cat with flees and was so on the move or irratable that I was almost on my wits end and considering giving him away; exept not to the former owner. After ten days of an anti-biotic and a shampoo he is so calm and so other than he was when he had his problems. (Including avoiding the litterbox for no. 1and no. 2). Please, be careful with any products, cats have a very sensitive bladder and the first thing they will do is avoid the (pain) litterbox. Ellie

Replied by Kye BarnesBrampton Onr05/23/2014

Hi! I'm so happy to hear about your cat getting better. My cat has been unable to pee for a whole day now and is on antibiotics and pain relievers. I was just wondering, how often did you give your cat the 2ml ACV mixed with the water in one day?

I noticed one morning my Somalian cat had difficulty urinating and would try to go several times with traces of blood increasing as she kept trying. I then noticed there were droplets of blood on the floor as she walked around the house though no signs of her peeing outside her litter tray. I tried the following steps:

- Wet food only (in this case, she eats canned tuna)

- 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar spread over the day mixed well into her meals (and a little in her water on day 1 & 2)...

(Note. After getting the ACV I tried the dropper approach others have used and as I suspected, she hated it and is now afraid of the dropper and the noise it makes when it releases liquid...)

Day 1 when I noticed the blood she had 1/4 teaspoon in 4 different mini meals (she usually eats twice per day so fed her early and more frequently to get the ACV working and ensure she ate it).

Day 2 (i. E. About 18 hours later) she was able to pee fully in one go. I couldn't see any blood (so there might have been a little) though there definitely wasn't any blood on the floor again.

Day 3 again she was able to pee fully though I noticed she had constipation from the meat only diet so in the evening I gave her dry food.

Day 4 she was able to pee fully and the constipation had gone and I'd returned to 2 normal sized meals with the 1/2 a teaspoon of ACV in each meal mixed in well.

On about day 6 I started to reduce the dosage of ACV to 1 teaspoon one day, 1/2 teaspoon the following day. It's now day 8 and I'm still giving her 1/2 teaspoon per day and I'll do this for perhaps 2 or 3 more days. I'm so pleased - My cat Lily & I thank everyone who posted!

Note of caution: A few times I didn't mix the ACV in well enough to her food and she had a coughing fit as she inhaled the smell or couldn't handle the flavour. Thankfully when it was mixed in well, she ate all her food like normal.

I have a 5 year old female who seems in good spirits. She is interested in food, cuddling, purring, and playing with my other cat - a male kitten. The only thing is that she keeps entering the litter box but only to scratch the walls. Her vagina also looks a little irritated. I was thinking maybe the kitten accidentally scratched the area around her vagina making it painful to pee but she doesn't seem in pain.

I started giving her ACV (1/2 tsp) with water by syringe around midnight last night. I started again at 6 this morning and again at 9. She continues to only scratch at the litter box. But otherwise is behaving normally. Still no pee.

Any guidance is appreciated. I will continue with the Apple Cider Vinegar every three hours and will take her to the vet if she doesn't pee today. I don't know if she actually has a UTI tho but I certainly don't want to wait til she is in pain.

[YEA] This post saved my cat's life. He was recently in for a urinary tract blockage, which cost me over $2500.00 to treat. He was home for two days and blocked up again - no urine what so ever. It was a holiday, nowhere was open, and I was contemplating having him put down. The vet agreed to see him without charging me the $500.00 emergency fee, and tried to catheterize him and couldn't. I was beyond hope.

I found this post, and tried the apple cider vinegar, and I kid you not he peed within 20 minutes. I kept giving him small doses by mouth (in a 1 ml syringe) every 30 minutes for 2 hours. He was up peeing all night, and filled the litter box. I am so gratefull!! Thanks!

Replied by MatwoodCarmichael, Ca02/15/2012

[NAY] Remembered this thread as I was sitting here going through old pics of my Cat. In may of 2011 he had a horrible urinary tract infection.. Found this site and thread and read all the great stories about ACV. We bought some immediately and started giving it to him. After a few days he seemed better, started going in the litter box and seemed like his old self. We were so happy but sadly... The ACV didn't work. He ended up getting a complete blockage and we lost him last May.

[YEA] Holy smokes- A Christmas Miracle! We were having the terrible discussion about having to put our 5 year old cat down the week of Christmas because we could not swing another $350 vet bill like we did last week for Buddy's cystitis. I read this website, went to the store at 11:00 at night to buy a $1.19 bottle of generic apple cider vinegar. I put it in canned cat food and a touch of milk- he ate a tiny bit, I tried it with just cat food, he again, just ate a bit, so I thought I was unsuccesful, but at 1 am he followed me down to the litter box and squatted and succesfully urinated. He bound up the stairs playfully and nearly knocked down the Christmas tree in his enthusiasm!

Replied by MarinaBrooklyn, Ny12/24/2011

[NAY] I tried this cure for four days. My cat died yesterday.

He started with blood in his urine, which cleared up after day one. He was urinating painfully, but seemed to be in much better spirits days 2-3. Yesterday, he clearly had a blockage and was suffering terribly. I rushed him to the vet, they voided his bladder. It seemed to go well until he had a heart attack while they were sewing the catheter in. The exact reason is unknown, but being in so much pain for so long certainly taxed his system. He could not be revived.

I believe if I had treated his problem as an emergency in the beginning instead of trying to care for him at home before taking him in, he would have had the strength to survive. I made a decision that cost him his precious life.

Replied by TytyMougins, France01/31/2012

[YEA] THANK YOU FOR THIS POST!!!!!!! My parents just moved country and flew their cat over for us to look after. The flight was clearly stressful and I noticed a few days after that she was straining to pee and leaving pee/blood drops in the corners of rooms. I couldn't take her to the vet and did'nt want to put her back ito the box that she is now terrified of so I began google searching what the problem is and found this site. Last night I gave her her ACV and soft food and found a big pee this morning and a happy cat! THANK YOU soooooo much!

Replied by NoraJamaica Plain, Ma02/17/2012

[NAY] Replying to Fae0305 from Asheville, Nc, Usa: My male cat has gotten cystitis a few times. ACV didn't help. I found that while he is suffering from cystitis, just putting a small amount of CranActin Syrup, made by Solaray, on his lips eased the condition--I purchased the CranActin Syrup via Amazon.com. I think I only had to apply this to him lips once--he licks it and ingests it. Then feeding him nutritious canned cat food that has liquid gravy twice a day has kept him well for the past year. I feed him Nature's Variety's Homestyle by Prairie, Duck Chicken Stew or Turkey Liver Stew (I put a few drops of cold pressed olive oil in that food) mornings and then in the evening, I give him Weruva Chicken in Gravy. I get both brands via Amazon.com. I think that he gets enough liquid that way plus the distilled water I give him in his water bowl. I have found that I can then give him a small amount of dry food, about 1/16 of a cup as a snack daily--I give him Taste of the Wild, Canyon River Feline Formula with Trout & Smoked Salmon flavor. I buy this at a small supermarket, Pemberton Farms, in Cambridge, MA. It is processed with purified water. So far he is doing well. I also give him four vitamins daily--Nu-Cat Multi-Vitamin/Mineral Supplement. I buy this via Amazon.com.

[NAY] Just some feedback on my experience. Sat afternoon my cat who is a year and a half, showed me he was having trouble peeing. I started researching on the net, was seeing the prices involved in catheters, etc... Seemed 800.00 was a common number, and that frequently the number moved into the thousands as the operation was needed again and again. I called a 24/7 vet here in LA but they would not quote any sort of general price range for the procedure, till I came in and paid 125.00 for an exam. I think they know if they say a large number over the phone that they will scare away business. But if you are there and have already committed to 125.00 and your pet's big eyes are staring at you in front of them they can make more of a sale. But I just don't have that type of money. I love the little guy, but I don't have insurance for myself. So, I thought I'd try the apple cider vinegar since there seemed nothing to lose. He didn't like it much. It didn't seem to do anything as fas as I can tell except make him unhappy. I tried to make him as comfortable as possible on Sunday otherwise, he wanted to be with me and so I kept him near me most of the day. He became increasingly lethargic. Lots of tears. I knew I was making a rational choice but emotionally it was tough. Critters die... Cycle of life... Sometimes you have to let them go. I took him to bed with me at midnight and noticed around 3AM he had left the bed. At 4:30AM I went to check on him and he was dead on the floor in the living room.

He had a good life with me and he was a good little buddy for 15 months. He had playmates with neighbor kitties, good food, and a person who loved him. He knew it. It was a very affectionate and close bond. I know it sounds terrible and heartless to some, but is it less heartless than numerous operations with strange people in strange places. He had a day and a half of increasing discomfort and I imagine was in a great deal of pain at the end- but every surgery would have left him in pain for a while too. It is easy to be frightened of death and I think we take it too far. There are times to let loved ones go. But I am also sharing my experience as a word of caution to those who are attached to their pets. The ACV might or might not work. Just be aware of that if you choose that course. My cat was fine on Friday evening and dead on Monday before sun up.

Replied by ShavanoSanta Fe, Nm03/11/2012

this website is fantastic for some things and horrifying for others. People who cannot afford to take a sick pet to the vet SHOULD NOT HAVE PETS!!! Letting a poor sick kitten (15 months old) die a painful death when it could have been a simple uti, and probably would have cost less than $100, is disgusting!!! It is NOT the "circle of life."

Replied by AstridStroudsburg, Pa03/21/2012

"this website is fantastic for some things and horrifying for others. People who cannot afford to take a sick pet to the vet SHOULD NOT HAVE PETS!!! "

Pleeeease! Yes, only rich people should have everything? We're not talking about a $100 vet bill here. I currently owe my vet over a thousand dollars. Last spring I took my sick cat to the vet for a UTI and he wanted $700 up front for a catheter. I did not have this and turned to herbal remedies (including cranberry and ACV) and he improved. He's still with me and recovered but is sick again now. This is a chronic problem for him. Do people like you know how many animals are put down in shelters? Why shouldn't low income people be able to take these unwanted pets in and give them good homes as well as the wealthy? I have four cats and three of them have had very few, if any, health problems and I have given them good lives without tons of money. I also tried to get health insurance for the one cat who has chronic UTI problems and was turned down due to the "pre-existing condition" clause so the one cat that needs the help the most is the one that gets turned away from ASPCA insurance which is an organization that claims to care the most about pets but ends up basically being all about business.

I've had some success with ACV but have to dillute it in water in a dropper and then give the cat another dropper (or two) of water right after to wash the bad taste out of his mouth. It's more successful giving it to him this way as cats generally don't like the taste of it (understandably).

Replied by AlexAll Places Cats Are, Texas08/06/2012

[NAY] My heart goes out to Paul in Los Angeles who lost his kitten after making the incredibly difficult decision to try a home ACV remedy when forced, by finances, to forego veterinary treatment. I have very restricted finances (SSI) and have great compassion for his predicament, and for his bravery in writing to this forum. Here is info I found out in my situation:

Urinary problems in cats have very different causes: inactivity, stress, less frequent feeding, bacteria, fungus, parasites, viruses, stones or urethral plugs (crystals or other material), and most often the cause is "idiopathic" (no traceable cause). Typically, when a cat is stressed the muscles around the urinary tract tighten; fear keeps them less mobile; they urinate less; toxins/debris concentrate in the urine, breed bacteria, irritate and inflame the bladder lining and urethra and cause a UTI. The extra attention and frequent small feedings of wet food required to treat it with the ACV may be all a stressed cat needs. It relaxes, receives more fluids in smaller more acidic feedings, and urinates. A few good streams of urine might relieve the problem. To paraphrase Dr. Earl Mindell, MD, ACV is considered "a system tonic. It can discourage and inhibit the growth of bacteria and PREVENT urinary infections", but it is not an antibiotic; by creating more acidic urine it can PREVENT the formation of urethral obstructions, but would take much time to dissolve one. Female cats, due to their very short urethra, are not generally put in a life threatening situation from UTIs or urethral obstructions, but male cats have only hours once a complete obstruction is formed. With complete blackage the kidneys are no longer able to remove toxins from the blood and maintain proper fluids and electrolytes in the body. If the obstruction is not relieved, the cat will eventually lose consciousness and die. Death comes often from heart failure due to electrolyte imbalance, but the suffering prior to death is great.

My cat, Xander, showed no pain or stress. I took him to the vet to find out what kind of problem the blood in his urine was and if it was treatable at home - cost $60 (2AM Emergency Vet) He was completely blocked. Death from the blockage was imminent. Had I not taken him in it would have meant a quiet (he was always quiet) but excruciating death in hours.

IF YOUR MALE CAT HAS UTI TROUBLE there is no time to try home remedies, take him to the vet. It will cost you an office visit. If it is treatable, you can use ACV, or get antibiotics/antifungals (fish antibiotics /fungals - ask your vet to help you with amounts), or just about anything else online, BUT if it is an obstruction you will need to choose between euthanasia or surgery (which often does not have a terrific outcome). You will suffer - the loss of your pet, or the loss of money, but your beloved pet will be spared further suffering and go to whatever lay ahead as quietly as his little cat feet used to bring him to you. (and you will know that you did absolutely everything that you could)

[YEA] I am hugely thankful for this site, and all the postings for helping me figure out how to help my cat! Had noticed some weight loss, more isolative behavior, alot of licking his "pee-pee" and very recently, some distressed meows in my 5yo male. It finally dawned on me, what the problem was. I hate to go to the vet because they push vacs, and I know they are more toxic than effective. So yesterday I started the ACV, mixed in fish juice, syringed orally, a small bit at a time, using guidance from other's experiences. About noon today, he had a bitty urine, tinged with blood, then not long after, he released a large amount of tinged urine in the box. I had set up a temporary litter box with white paper to better inspect it, and segregated him from another cat and the dog.

I began the ACV in soft food/water a little more than 24 hours ago, and he is back to behaving his usual self, purring, plopping on his side, expecting to be petted, looking for food. I know I need to continue the ACV at some level, feed soft food and improve his hydration in order to prevent a recurrence. I am so grateful to have found a site of such natural wisdom!

[YEA] ACV REALLY WORKS!! I have a 2 year old taby... Dewey. A few weeks ago my husband and I started finding slight traces of blood in our bathroom sink, we had no idea where it came from until my husband saw Dewey squat and pee in the sink. We immediately took him to the Vet to find out that he had Cystitis. I looked on this site the next day and read about ACV for cats so Dewey immediatley went on an ACV mix, 6cc x 3 times a day. Roughly one cap in a 1/4 cup water. I'm using an oral syringe and he really doesn't fight back while I'm squirting it slowly into his mouth. It's been 3 days and he is peeing normal again!! I plan on keeping him on half that dose for a few weeks, just to be sure his ph is balanced. Then maybe once per week as a precaution.

***We also have an older cat who needs 100mm of fluids eveyother day... the vet said it would be a good idea to give Dewey 100mm everyday to see if it would help flush his baldder, which I did along with the ACV.

FYI...I called the Vet to let them know and she mentioned that Cosequin is good for their bladder lining.

Thank you Earth Clinic for allowing all of us to share our stories and help one another!

[YEA] Just wanted to give some feedback on the use of apple cider vinegar in cystitis for cats. My cat was ill with cystitis (so badly that she was going to the litter box every 3 minutes and she even sprayed out couch, she had never ever done this before) we brought her to the vet and he gave her antibiotics which improved it for a while but it came back. Reluctant to get into a cycle of antibiotics, as I am with myself, I searched and found this site.

I started giving her a third of a teaspoon of ACV mixed in with tinned cat food and a teaspoon of water (she ate it as was delighted to get tinned food, normally I only give her dry) I continued this twice a day on the third day upping to half a teaspoon each time. I put a couple of drops in her water also. By day 2 she was substantially better, still trying to pee with little result, but not as often, and managing to pee slightly more in volume, by day three she appeared to be completely better, and doing big pees in the litter box, she now seems completely back to normal.

Thank you very much for all the advice here, very helpful. Just one question, how long should I continue giving the ACV to her? S

Replied by Lorena TurciosVan Nuys, California11/30/2010

My friends Im so blessed to find this site. Tiger is 12 Years old hes is peeing everywhere but his only doing little dots, so I decide to use your ACV and his first dose was one hour ago please pray for him. I have faith this really goin to work on him. Someone told me to take for the vet but when they told me about how much it cost and it will be most of the food money at month here at my home. I have three children to feed. I said to myself not to worry about it has to be another way to cure him and I find your site and we will see if it works with him I will let you guy knows. Mean while keep him in your prayers please. Lore Turcios

Replied by Matwood Carmichael, Ca, Usa03/30/2011

[YEA] First let me say that I am so happy that I found this site and this thread. About 2 weeks ago our 2 yr old male cat started peeing outside of the litter box. He's never done this before so we became concerned. We watched him for a day or two and noticed that he was straining to go but not much was coming out. I suspected UTI. We took him to the vet and they gave him an antibiotic shot that was equivalent to 14 days of antibiotics, some anti inflammatory meds and some prescription food that would make him want to drink more water to help with the UTI.

He finished the meds that we were sent home with 3 days later. After 8 days we noticed that there was no improvement at all and he was still straining to go but couldn't. I'm unable to afford another visit to the vet which is how I found this site yesterday. After reading all the posts about how ACV really helped I had to try it.

Last night I gave him about 7 cc of ACV mixed with water. I also put about 1 tsp in his wet food last night & about a cap full of acv/water in his water bowl. I've competely removed all dry food from his diet. I never realized how bad dry food is for them and he really loves eating dry food.

This morning I saw him squatting in the kitchen and I thought hmm is this Apple Cider Vinegar going to work? I was so happy to see that he left a good size puddle on the floor. He hasn't peed that much in over a week so this has to be working. I'm going to continue giving him the Apple Cider Vinegar twice a day with syringe in his mouth as well as in his wet food. I'll update with is progress in a few days! Fingers crossed that he is on his way to recovering from this UTI!

Replied by MariaCarmichael, Ca04/01/2011

[YEA] I'm very happy to say that my cat is doing much better after 2 1/2 days of Apple Cider Vinegar and wet food only. We found a very large puddle this morning on our bathroom floor. He goes in the litter box sometimes but this is definitely progress. I'm so grateful that I found this site.

Replied by LindaPaisley, Scotland04/07/2011

Hi, I would like to try Apple Cider Vinegar for my poor old cat but being very fussy about what he eats, he turns his nose up at most things. After reading about the other benifits for myself and how bad it tastes how do I get him to take it since his sense of smell is so much keener than ours?

Replied by ChrissyBelfast, 0491504/19/2011

[NAY] If your cat is having a hard time urinating DO NOT WAIT! TAKE YOUR CAT TO THE VETERINARY ASAP! Cats can get blocked and apple cider vinegar is not going to work fast enough to save its life. A cat can die in 24 hrs after becoming blocked. I had a cat that became blocked and had not shown any signs of it before I saw a little blood on the back side and when I did I took him to the vets and was told he would have died within 4 hrs. Cats hide the pain.

Replied by PaulRock Island, Il01/07/2012

[YEA] The apple cider vinegar remedy worked great for our cat!

We added one teaspoonful to a small can of catfood. She ate half of that the first day. Gave her the other half the second day. By the evening of Day 2, she was fine.

(Her prior symptoms were frequent attempts to urinate not just in the litter box, but also other places around the house, which is not like her. This had gone on for over a week.)

Replied by XanColorado, US08/23/2014

For cats who won't eat food that smells of ACV I have heard of some alternatives. One is to dilute the vinegar with a little strong chicken broth, which most cats will eat eagerly. Another is to put a few drops of diluted ACV on the scruff of the neck and massage it in so it gets absorbed into the body.

On another point, since cystitis may come from toxins in the body an easy way to detox your cat and possibly prevent recurring cystitis attacks is with Chlorella, a nutrient-packed natural food from the sea.

I grind up the little tablets into a powder and put a pinch in my cats' wet food once a day. My 13 year old is healthy, her eyes are clear and she plays... more than before the chlorella.

[YEA] Our 6 year old male, neutered American short hair Oscar, had started to suffer from all the typical symptoms of a UTI/Cystitis. After doing my research and finding how serious this can be for males, I was highly concerned as I really could not afford any vets bills for a week or so, and all indicators were that he would need some anti biotics and possible surgery depending on the severity. My love for my cat and my worrying nature lead me to this site, and after reading all the positive reviews I was confident in trying it. We are now in day 4 of:

No dry food. Mixing one to two table spoons of ACV in to the food. Day 1. He started to seem sprightlier and 18 hours after the first dose urinated more than he had in several days.

Day 2. Still made a few trips to the litter tray trying to urinate but unable. But passing significant amounts again.

Day 3. Seemed to be back to almost normal urination routines.

Day 4. All seems normal, happy as ever, no trips to the litter tray with no results. I can't thank everyone who posted here enough. You may well have saved my cats life and I felt compelled to tell my story. Thanks again from one inconceivably grateful cat lover.

I have a male short haired cat of around 3 years old who is getting over suffering from cystitis. I want to thank you guys for the advice about using the acv. It did the trick, but now he is defecating far from the box. I keep the box immaculate and he shares the box with a 2-3yo female. The feces looks the same exact color as the acv. He doesn't do it all the time though. I am confused. Anyone help?

[YEA] Patrick is one of our two rescue cats. We've had him for two years. He has skin allergies that cause him to scratch his head till he looks like a raw meatball. He also gets urinary tract infections. Because he has such a sweet personality, I suspect these two medical problems are the reasons he was tossed into an alley to fend for himself. After several vet visits, and many tests, and antibiotics and food changes his allergies would not go away. I finally asked the vet if there was an allergy pill made for cats and he gave me Chlorpheniramine 4mg-1/2 tab. He gets it once a day, disolved in 1/4 tsp of cider vinegar, 1 tbsp water, 2 tbsp Duck and Pea cat food. The cider vinegar I've been giving him every day for the past 18 months since his first attack.

This week my husband was home on vacation and I got to sleep in each morning (he fed the critters dry food instead of my vinegar wet/canned mix). By the third day I found the large wet spot, like spilled tea, on my bedroom end table. I didn't remember leaving a water glass there, and could only think it had to have been one of our three cats. All of them always use the litter boxes (we have three boxes) so this was a warning. While I was using the bathroom I noticed Patrick used the litter box in there three times in ten minutes. I then knew that missing the wet vinegar mix food in the morning had allowed his UTI infection to get out of hand. I immediatedly started him back on the vinegar, upping his dosing to three times a day. It's day four and he's playing with his 'brother' and out hiding atop the hamper in the bathroom. I've been monitoring his reststops, and his wet spots have gotten much bigger, and farther apart. All three cats are going to stay on natural vinegar in their morning wet food as maintenance for the rest of their lives. The balance of their food is high quality dry food with probiotics, cranberry, and no grains. We lost our dear cat, Chan, two years ago to liver failure caused by the cat food additive mess. A little caution saves a lot of useless vet treatments. Nature cider vinegar works wonders with cats. I'd recommend mixing it with a high quality wet cat food, plas added water, so easy you're certain they are getting that extra water they need without a daily fight.

Replied by Sapphos Iami, Fl, Usa03/21/2011

[YEA] One of the biggest causes of cat uti's is feeding dry cat food! Cats are obligate carnivores which means they are meant to eat meat not dry kibble. We would always recommend a wet food diet when I worked at a holistic pet supply store. Also visit Dr. Lisa Pierson's website about feeding your cat wet food only. She talks about how it also helps to avoid diabetes which has become a major issues as well www.catinfo.org/

[BETTER BUT NOT CURED] Apple Cider Vinegar seems to be working for our 10 year old neutered male cat. Two days ago, we noticed that he was very lethargic and spending a great amount of time licking his bottom. He appeared to "waddle" as he walked and was clearly uncomfortable. Suspecting it might be cystitis, we called the vet, but as it was late afternoon Saturday, we had to take him to an after-hours vet service in town. They did suspect cystitis, though the bladder seemed normal in size and not rock hard, and held him overnight for observation. On Sunday they reported that he had not defecated nor urinated and asked us to come pick him up (he has a cat door at home and won't use the kitty litter provided in the house) to see if he would perform at home. They suggested reducing dry food, increasing wet food and encouraging him to drink more. They recommended taking him to our Vet on Monday. Later Sunday, it became clear that he was totally blocked. He could defecate, but there was no urine passage. Sunday afternoon I found this site, and at 5 PM we added 3/4tsp ACV (in addition to some water) to canned food, and 1/2tsp per cup of drinking water. We also used a syringe to get about another 1/4t of ACV, diluted with 1tsp water into him. There was no progress on urination, with the possible exception of a few drops on the linoleum floors around the house. By 10 PM, however, he did seem to be at bit more comfortable. On Monday, we continued the 3/4 t ACV with wet food, 1/2t per cup of drinking water, and 1/2t per 2t water in the syringe. In all, we probably got 1 t of ACV into him this morning. By noon he had urinated a small amount (1"D wet spot) twice, that we were able to witness. He is not yet back to normal, but it is clear that he is on the mend. It is surprising and disturbing that vets seem to be unaware of this solution to what appears to be a very common, debilitating, and sometimes lethal, problem. Caution: In our first attempt to put the syringe in his mouth, he bit through my wife's finger and finger nail. This cat doesn't even expose his claws when fighting with us, normally, but the syringe was more than he could tolerate. Now, as suggested elsewhere on this site, we lay him on his back, between our legs, and just put the syringe inside his lips, and slowly dribble the ACV in. He doesn't like it, but there is no more biting.

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